Manila Water to finish P6.1-B sewage treatment plant by Sept

MANILA, Philippines -  East Zone water concessionaire Manila Water Co. Inc.  expects to finish the construction of its P6.1-billion sewage treatment plant in Taguig City in September.

The wastewater treatment plant located at Liwasan ng Kagitingan at Kalikasan will service 350,000 residents of Barangay Western Bicutan.

Manila Water Project Delivery Group OIC director Estelita Orodio said the Taguig North Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) is a crucial component of the company’s Wastewater Master Plan which aims to reduce the pollution load in Metro Manila’s river systems especially the Pasig River which flows into the Manila Bay. 

 â€œEnvironmental protection is a major advocacy of Manila Water.  We have pioneered a number of initiatives to promote this cause and the construction of more STPs like this is part of our major contribution in the drive to clean-up Manila Bay,” Orodio said.

The Taguig wastewater treatment plant is an underground facility that a can process  75 million liters per day.

The land above the plant would developed into a public recreational park.

Upon completion of the plant, Manila Water would have 37 sewage treatment plants and two septage treatment facilities in its network.

These facilities would process a total of 500 million liters per day.

Manila Water services 6.2 million residents of portions of Quezon City and Manila, Marikina, Pasig, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Pateros, Makati, Taguig and several towns in Rizal Province.

The company recently reported a flat growth in net income for the first quarter of the year on lower billed volume of Thu Duc Water B.O.O Corp. in Vietnam in which it has a 49-percent stake.

The company reported a net income of P1.333 billion in the first quarter of the year against P1.338 billion earned in the same period last year.

Revenues rose six percent to P3.637 billion in the first three months of the year against P3.419 in the same period last year.

The company’s operating expenses rose 11 percent to P1.017 billion in the first quarter against P922 million in the same period in 2012.

Its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) rose eight percent to P2.723 billion from P2.521 billion in the same period in 2013.

Its total billed volume in the first quarter of 2013 fell one percent to P136.7 million cubic meters (mcm) in the first quarter of 2013 from P137.7 mcm in the same period in 2012.

Billed volume in the East Zone rose  one percent; Boracay Water, 13 percent; Clark Water, five percent and Laguna Water; 38 percent.

The billed volume of Thu Duc Water in Vietnam fell eight percent in the first three months of the year to 27.6 mcm against 30.1 mcm in the same period in 2012.

Gerry Ablaza, Manila Water president and chief executive officer said the decrease in billed volume in Thu Duc Water reflected lower demand from Saigon Water Corporation (Sawaco)  from January to February.

Sawaco has an offtake agreement with Thu Duc Water

“The Thu Duc billed water volume in the first quarter reflected lower demand in January to February from Sawaco,” said Ablaza.

“However, this billed volume was still higher than the guaranteed volume in our take off pay contract with Sawaco. Also, the billed volume in March moved back up to levels similar to last year,” he added.